Warriors Legend Al Attles To Be Inducted Into Basketball Hall Of Fame
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Alvin "Al" Attles, a longstanding icon of the Golden State Warriors organization, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with the Class of 2019.
The announcement was made on Saturday morning. 82-year-old Attles has been synonymous with the Warriors for nearly 60 years, first joining the team in Philadelphia in 1960 as the 39th overall draft pick.
The point guard played until 1971 and his #16 jersey is one of six to hang from the rafters of Oracle Arena--it will hang from the Chase Center rafters next year.
Before his playing career ended, Attles became one of the first African Americans to coach an NBA team when he became the player-coach of the Warriors during the 1969-70 season. He went on to lead Rick Barry and the Warriors to the NBA title in 1975.
He coached the team until 1983 and is the longest-serving coach in Warriors history. He was the team's general manager during the 1983-84 season.
In 2014, Attles received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, a prestigious honor given by the Naismith Hall of Fame indicating an individual's significant contribution to the sport of basketball.
He was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
